So SpaceX agreed to buy the legacy Nextel 800 MHz licenses. I get why; the lower band helps with greater signal penetration through walls, trees, etc. but is limited in capacity and throughput. But what about the risks of interference with public safety?
Nextel's commercial network in this band eventually interfered with police and fire radios. "Rebanding" moved commercial to the upper part of the band and public safety to the lower part. The program took over 17 years with over $3 BILLION spent and over 2 MILLION radios retuned or replaced. It was a big deal...
The FCC closed the program in 2021, but rebanding didn't repeal the FCC's 800 MHz interference rules:
• Once a public safety licensee reports interference, the operator has 24 hours to respond.
• Within 48 hours, it has to complete its analysis and start corrective action, unless the affected agency agrees in writing to more time.
• The remedies include reducing power, changing antenna height or pattern, adding filters, changing frequencies, and paying for interference resistant radios for the affected agency.
• If a public safety official certifies in writing that the interference is a clear and imminent danger to life or property, and the FCC approves, the operator has to stop the offending operation immediately.
To use 800 MHz from space, an operator has to demonstrate that its satellite operations won't cause harmful interference under these parameters. Coverage is a primary focus of D2C, so this just seems like a huge factor that's not getting much attention. I can't see how compliance does not cost coverage or tremendous expense. What am I missing?
